Serbian star Nikola Kusturica scored 17 points and Jaylen Pettit added 16 as No. 9 UCLA routed Arkansas Pine Bluff 106-37 Wednesday night and set a program record for margin of victory.
The Bruins (3-0) won by a record 69 points. UCLA’s previous largest margin of victory was 65 points, accomplished three times and most recently in a 122-57 win over Portland in 1967, a mark that stood for 59 years.
Trent Perry finished with 11 points and 11 assists for his first double-double.
Macaleab Rich led Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-3) with 11 points.
UCLA used a 20-0 run early to build a 33-4 lead in the first half.
UCLA’s stingy defense limited Arkansas-Pine Bluff to nine points in the first half. That matched a school record for fewest points allowed. The Golden Eagles’ starting five was a combined 0 for 9 from the field in the first half.
The last time the Bruins held a team to nine first-half points was against Howard on Dec. 19, 1983. The Bruins won that game 63-52 at Pauley Pavilion.
The Bruins led 51-9 at halftime. That 42-point lead is UCLA’s largest halftime advantage since the 2012-13 season. UCLA had a 63-29 lead over James Madison on Nov. 15, 2012.
The Bruins did commit 11 turnovers in the first half. The Golden Eagles had 21 turnovers in the first half and finished with 30 total.
Seven Bruins had at least two steals each.
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